Vector/pattern fill

[Comet]

46 minutes ago, prophet said:

And how do you know that?

No APPARENT plans to implement them either.

Lack of any indication to the contrary is causing many people to just give up on the product. I have certainly forgotten about and given up on it, except on the occasions when another forlorn post to this topic comes to the surface again.

[D.E. Main]

Agreed - It's the silence (neglect?) that is frustrating.  A reply such as "we hear you.  We are currently focusing on other key improvements and priorities and will give you an update later.  This feature IS on our planning list."

That said - I love the product and do recommend it for most users.  I've also said in surveys before - I'd be willing to pay more for the base product - It's more than worth it.

The silence spurns roumours and loss of interest, unfortunately.

[bitblitter]

My impression is that being a small company and using a one-time license purchase for its software (as opposed to a subscription like most of the rest), serif doesn't have the resources needed to do this. Instead, it focuses them into improving and maintaining that which makes more business sense, since it gives a monthly income: the assets market. 

If that's the case, I wouldn't mind changing to a yearly subscription for example, if that means adding and maintaining those extra features it seems to be unable to add right now.

[prophet]

1 hour ago, Comet said:

No APPARENT plans to implement them either.

To compare, what features have you noted that do have apparent plans to be implemented?

Not to be contrarian, but none of us can say what is or isn't in the works. You are looking for a roadmap, which could certainly be helpful, but as has been mentioned many many times here in the forum, such a roadmap caused more trouble than it was worth. We must all just be patient or, if we can't, move on to other options.

[Imonobor]

30 minutes ago, prophet said:

To compare, what features have you noted that do have apparent plans to be implemented?

Not to be contrarian, but none of us can say what is or isn't in the works. You are looking for a roadmap, which could certainly be helpful, but as has been mentioned many many times here in the forum, such a roadmap caused more trouble than it was worth. We must all just be patient or, if we can't, move on to other options.

This is exactly the problem. They don't share ANYTHING with their community. "Neglect" is the exact word I'd use for their attitude towards their own community - they seldom even acknowledge our existence. At first when I bought Designer I was so hyped, because it was *ALMOST* exactly what I was looking for, with some more work and features it would have been perfect. It's so frustrating to see them get so close, but fall short of expectations, and just sit on their thumbs and keeping silent all the time.

A roadmap would be awesome to have, or even little teasers about what they're working on would do. Instead all we get is radio silence. Certainly makes me lose interest.

[Comet]

15 minutes ago, Imonobor said:

This is exactly the problem. They don't share ANYTHING with their community. "Neglect" is the exact word I'd use for their attitude towards their own community - they seldom even acknowledge our existence. At first when I bought Designer I was so hyped, because it was *ALMOST* exactly what I was looking for, with some more work and features it would have been perfect. It's so frustrating to see them get so close, but fall short of expectations, and just sit on their thumbs and keeping silent all the time.

A roadmap would be awesome to have, or even little teasers about what they're working on would do. Instead all we get is radio silence. Certainly makes me lose interest.

What he said...

[David.P]

Can you imagine that I just bought the whole bundle of version 2, and only then looked up the new features?

However, I fear that there are still no vector fills, right?

[D.E. Main]

There is distortion of vector objects that may meet my needs.  It's clear that Affinity has been focusing energy on the V2 - which overall is great.

 

I'm hopeful now that this new platform really will allow some of these asks to be more readily included.

 

Thanks Affinity - a new V2 suite owner.

[Garikarp]

12 hours ago, David.P said:

Can you imagine that I just bought the whole bundle of version 2, and only then looked up the new features?

However, I fear that there are still no vector fills, right?

Yep. But hey, there is dwg import, and guess what it imports the bloddy hatches from the dwg so maybe it's near? New tools are cool too, 1 step closer to being a complete thing.

[Comet]

I am rather shocked that there has been such a major upgrade to the software which doesn't include something as fundamental as vector fills. I really want to be able to use this product, but I simply can't without vector fills. How are you expected to use it for any form of serious design work/illustration if you can only fill objects with a shade of a colour, or an image (raster element)? To me this is a totally fundamental shortcoming.

Very disappointing but given the absolute silence on this feature in the past it seems clear that Serif just don't understand how basic and essential a feature this is, and will presumably now never deliver it.

[Garikarp]

25 minutes ago, Comet said:

I am rather shocked that there has been such a major upgrade to the software which doesn't include something as fundamental as vector fills. I really want to be able to use this product, but I simply can't without vector fills. How are you expected to use it for any form of serious design work/illustration if you can only fill objects with a shade of a colour, or an image (raster element)? To me this is a totally fundamental shortcoming.

Very disappointing but given the absolute silence on this feature in the past it seems clear that Serif just don't understand how basic and essential a feature this is, and will presumably now never deliver it.

You know, thinking about this thread yesterday when I saw the update

If you would make a pattern Illustrator like, by selecting sth and then making a pattern out of it, perhaps this is a sufficient workaround:

I was thinking, if you use a lot of fills, save every fill as a vector file (pdf or designer or ai or even dwg) that is for example A5 size, then when you need that pattern simply import and use masks to fit it into the shape you want hatched?

An actual tool would be better of course, but I can't believe this one really crossed my mind only yesterday for the 1st time.

[Olich]

From my side, I just give up on Designer. It is simply impossible to use it as part of a cartographic software system without this vector fill tool.

[Comet]

Quite.

[ra.skill]

I gave up on the Affinity suite about a year ago when I realised the features that are essential to me like vector patterns, vector brushes, a friggin measuring tool and others were not coming any time soon. 
 

I got excited when I heard V2 was coming, expecting that at least 1 of my desired features would finally come… yet there is nothing, out of my 6 wanted features none of them came in V2. 
Gutted

Already wasted enough money buying V1.9 won’t pay for V2 or any version until basic features become available….

I’m sticking with Adobe and not sure I can bothered making a transition again after my horrific 1.9 experience. 
 

It really is a shame because I love the product, publisher is incredible… it shits all over indesign. Designer has a lot of features I love and Photo is great too. 
Guess we’ll see how V3 turns out another decade from now. 

[norvald]

I will hold off buying v2 until they give us Vector Patterns.

[D.E. Main]

In hind sight I should have, but am wishing/

9 hours ago, Garikarp said:

You know, thinking about this thread yesterday when I saw the update

If you would make a pattern Illustrator like, by selecting sth and then making a pattern out of it, perhaps this is a sufficient workaround:

I was thinking, if you use a lot of fills, save every fill as a vector file (pdf or designer or ai or even dwg) that is for example A5 size, then when you need that pattern simply import and use masks to fit it into the shape you want hatched?

An actual tool would be better of course, but I can't believe this one really crossed my mind only yesterday for the 1st time.

'Tried this before and it's cumbersome - for me.  Also - Unfortunately, this won't work for my work or customers.  I need a real object pattern fill - especially one that I can distort with mesh/shaping.  

I'm hoping that with the new redesign release with the gee whizz items (Quite good ones, mind you!) that they can catch up with the basics that appear to be driving away some customers.

[Comet]

I so much want to like this product - it is very good in many ways - and would love to be able to buy (and use) it, but the absence of what to me is a REALLY fundamental feature stops me from doing so. I would never use it, even if I did buy it, for this one reason.

I am literally bemused that anyone can introduce a major update of a drawing application which still lacks vector/pattern fill of objects. It is surely a very basic and essential thing to be able to create hatched objects and the like.

There is not even any indication ("coming soon") that this feature will arrive in the future.

[typeglyph]

Comet

Quote

I am literally bemused that anyone can introduce a major update of a drawing application which still lacks vector/pattern fill of objects. It is surely a very basic and essential thing to be able to create hatched objects and the like.

I guess you waited a decade or more for Illustrator to get vector pattern fill, I do not remember it in version 8. 

[QBerenguer]

Hi, I have been in this post for a long time. I bought the V2 and I do use it, not but Photo that for some reason I still buy it but still using a monthly paid PhotoShop as the features of Photo are really nice but the normal photo retouch quality isn't enough. Once say that I have been applying for this pattern fill for long time but also for a real vector brush, a simple thing like making a badge can be really tedious when with a vector brush it's just a click in the same way as vector fill works. I'm close to be retired so I don't mind much about it now, but those are a couple of features that I have being using for years, many, in my graphic work. Thought that i would see it in this version 2 and must admit that has being really disappointing not to have them. Thank you for the hard work to all the Affinity team but those features are really needed.

[Imonobor]

13 hours ago, norvald said:

I will hold off buying v2 until they give us Vector Patterns.

Same. Add the basic features the community has been asking for since 2019, then I'll consider re-buying your software, Serif.

Honestly, I'm kinda happy that they're making some progress with releasing V2, but it does not meet expectations for a new release. It's definitely better than the radio silence we had for months (years?) though. But still, what I think Serif needs is to be more transparent with their community. Respond to posts more, let us know what features are in the works, and explain why some aren't and when they will be.

I think there should be some kind of "Patreon-like" monthly subscription where users that want to can fund the development of Affinity software, and get some perks for it - like the ability to vote on features. This would solve 2 problems - insufficient funding, because of their single-purchase model, and the community feeling left out of the development process. I think it would be pretty good for everyone all around.

[[gawr-juhs]]

Reading this thread, it appears that vector patterns still aren’t supported in Designer V2. Disappointing!

As an Illustrator user since version 1.0 – yes! I'm that old – and having worked as a designer at Aldus- the original owners of FreeHand – there are some basic concepts of vector drawing apps that I've grown up with. Being able to create and apply patterns within a document being one of those things.

I like to keep my designs live, and contain all the elements within one document. Having to export patterns as a PNG and then bring them back as a fill, is really clunky. I so wanted to fall in love with the new versions of these Affinity products, especially as the Shape Builder tool finally made an appearance in Designer. However it already feels like they're going to sit on my digital shelf for the next few years gathering dust.